Discoloured Tap Water on Pulau Tekong on 20 November 2019
Ministry of Sustainability and the EnvironmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the 20 November 2019 discoloured water incident at the Basic Military Training Centre on Pulau Tekong, as raised by Mr Leon Perera. Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli B M M explained that naturally occurring minerals in the pipes were churned up, leading to flushing and sampling. The Minister confirmed that water quality standards on Pulau Tekong are identical to the mainland, adhering to World Health Organization guidelines and local regulations. To prevent future occurrences, cleaning of the water mains is scheduled for early 2020, and the water supply was fully restored by 21 November 2019. PUB also deployed water wagons and ensured the water remained potable and safe for consumption throughout the duration of the incident.
Transcript
28 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) what are the reasons for the discoloured tap water in the Basic Military Training Camp (BMTC) on Pulau Tekong on 20 November 2019; and (b) what measures are being taken to reduce the risk of such incidents in future.
The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M): PUB was alerted to discoloured tap water at some parts of the Basic Military Training Centre, or BMTC, at Pulau Tekong at 7.30 am on 20 November 2019. PUB officers were activated immediately to investigate the cause of the incident and deployed water wagons to provide temporary water supply to the servicemen on Pulau Tekong.
PUB also worked with BMTC to flush the water supply network on Pulau Tekong and carried out water sampling tests in the network to ensure that the water is safe for consumption and within the drinking water quality standards under the Environmental Public Health Regulations 2019 and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines. The water supply was fully restored at 9.30 pm on 21 November 2019.
Naturally occurring minerals in the water will settle and accumulate in the water supply network over time. PUB investigated and found that these minerals in the pipes serving BMTC were churned up, thus affecting the appearance of the water. The tap water turned clear after flushing of the water supply network.
As a preventive measure, PUB is working with BMTC to carry out cleaning of the water mains in Pulau Tekong during the first half of 2020, when there is a break in BMTC's training schedule.
Mr Speaker: Mr Perera.
Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member): Thank you, Sir. Just one supplementary question for the Minister. Just to confirm, on an on-going basis, going forward, does the Government ensure that the potability or drinkability of the water supply in Tekong is same and equal to the standard on the main land? Is testing regularly done to ensure that?
Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Yes, we do. In fact, all drinking water is tested whether they are on – Tekong or the main land – to ensure that they are potable and up to the WHO standards and the regulations that I have mentioned just now.